Two Sides of the Same Coin

Trouble on the Vy

Katia watched on in amazement as the cut on her arm was healed, the skin knitting together under a Corporalki's skilled hand. The small wound throbbed with heat for a few short moments before leaving nothing but a slight scar behind. Katia turned to her sister with excitement, wanting to see if she had also witnessed the amazing sight, but the younger girl was still staring out of the back window of the carriage they had spent the last few hours in. The General's Carriage.

Katia opened her mouth to soothe Alina's nerves, but the words died on her tongue. What could she say? That everything would be alright? From the expressions on the two Heartrenders on the opposite side of the carriage, that would have been an outright lie. The Corporalki who had healed her then moved her attention to Alina, taking the girl's arm before she could protest.

"How long have you both known you were Grisha?" Katia inquired, wanting to cut through the tense silence.

"Probably not for as long as you have" Alina muttered under her breath, as Katia pursed her lips.

"Most Grisha are tested when they are children. How is it you two slipped through the net?" One of the Heartrenders questioned.

"I don't tend to tell secrets to men who haven't even told me their names" Katia pointed out.

"Apologies for my partner, Ivan means well but his manners...they need some work" The other Heartrender confessed, earning an annoyed glare from Ivan.

"I'm often told the same" Katia grinned at him.

"My name is Fedyor, Miss Starkov. It truly is a pleasure to meet you. Both of you" Fedyor stated.

"Give the Sun Summoner your kefta" Ivan ordered the Healer, who had now finished her work on Alina.

"I'm not cold" Alina frowned, as the Healer did as she was asked without question.

"The uniform of the Second Army is bulletproof. You should wear it if you hope to see tomorrow's sunrise" Ivan explained, as Alina reluctantly accepted the kefta.

"What about her?" Katia asked, gesturing to the Healer who was now just wearing a thin shirt.

"Anyone of us would give our lives for a Saint" The Healer smiled, as Ivan knocked twice on the carriage behind him and they came to a sudden halt.

Katia's eyes widened as the Corporalki threw the carriage doors open and jumped out without another word. Ivan was on his feet in an instant, shutting the doors, as his brows knitted together. He was then shrugging off his own red kefta and thrusting it in Katia's face, his expression telling her not to argue with him.

"Where's she going?" Alina couldn't help but ask, looking out of the window to see the woman now walking in the other direction, as the horses began to move once again.

"Back to Kribirsk. We'll travel faster with less weight" Ivan explained, as both Alina and Katia pulled their kefta's on.

"You still haven't said why no one has looked twice at you before?" Ivan insisted, his lips drawn in a fine line.

"Are you joking? Maybe it's nicer inside the Little Palace, but out here, when you're different, when you look different, everything's at risk of becoming a fight" Alina explained, bitterly.

Katia couldn't help but nod along to what she said, after all, the whole reason she had been sent into the Fold was because of her looks. If she had looked Ravkan, would any of this be happening?

"Do you know why the Little Palace has walls in the first place? Hmm? Because for years, being Grisha was a death sentence. At least now, thanks to General Kirigan, we're protected. Feared. And that's how we survive. Not by being overlooked, but by making them look, and knowing you're powerful" Ivan informed her.